Telephone networks are intended to respond to a telephone number dialed from a calling telephone by establishing a connection in response to the dialed telephone number between the calling telephone and a called telephone identified by the dialed telephone number. Traditionally, a telephone network identifies the calling telephone and generates billing information that is subsequently transmitted to a subscriber in whose name the calling telephone is listed for payment or a request is made to a calling party at a coin telephone station to deposit coins in payment for the telephone call.
Credit cards, such as the AT&T Universal Credit Card, enables a customer having such cards to dial a telephone number of a called telephone and transmit the customer credit card number via the calling telephone to the telephone network. A determination of the validity of a credit card associated with the received credit card number enables the telephone network to establish a telephone connection between calling and called telephones and the credit card customer is billed for the telephone call on the customer's credit card billing statement.
The telephone network determines validity of the credit cards associated with received credit card numbers by maintaining data link connections with credit card companies having issued the customer credit cards. A credit card number received from a calling party is transmitted over a data link to a data base maintained by a credit card company having issued the credit card identified by the received credit card number. The telephone network receives validation of the credit card over the data link. A problem occurs when there is a malfunction of the credit card company data base or of the data link extending between the telephone network and a credit card company in that it becomes impossible to determine the validity of a credit card. Since telephone calls can only be completed after the validity of a credit card has been determined, other problems arise during the interruption of these data links in that calling parties are inconvenienced and the telephone network suffers a lost of revenue until the data link can be reestablished between the telephone network and the credit card company data base.